Base wins Airbus interiors contract

Base has won its first direct business from Airbus Industrie to carry out interior design work on the A380.

Base, a Dundonald, Belfast-based aerospace engineering design consultancy, has won its first direct business from Airbus Industrie to carry out interior design work on the A380.

The work will be carried out alongside Airbus engineers at the aerospace giant’s plant at Laupheim, near Frankfurt in Germany.

The contract sprung from Base’s participation in an Invest NI mission to the recent Aircraft Interiors Expo at Hamburg.

Peter Hinds, Base director, said: ‘This is a hugely important contract for us because it positions us on the radar of Airbus as a tier-1 supplier of a range of professional services for both existing and new aircraft projects. It’s a tremendous boost for all at Base because it shows that we have met the exacting requirements in terms of knowledge, experience, expertise and quality of a world-leading planemaker.

‘We’ve been targeting Airbus for many years, gaining essential marketing experience and leads from various Invest NI initiatives in Europe and North America. As well as increasing awareness of our skills base within Airbus, the contract positions us to develop business with the Diehl/Thales consortium that is expected to take over the Laupheim factory soon.’

Base currently employs around 50 people and provides a range of services including design, stress analysis and certification for aerospace and other industries. The company has specialist knowledge in composite structures, fatigue and damage tolerance, systems and vibration analysis.